BleepingComputer.com: Firefox Rendering Problem

Hi,

Until now, I have been using Windows Vista and my default browser has always been Mozilla Firefox. I had no problems using it. Now I have Windows 7 and after installing all the drivers and other files, I have begun to use the Internet through Firefox again. The version is Firefox 3.6.3.

I have noticed a very annoying problem. My internet conenction is 100% in peak condition but Firefox very slowly loads everything and sometimes even hangs until I move my mouse pointer around. The content on the pages take some time to render as well. Here's some examples of rendering problems that I encounter:

• When I load a webpage, it hangs and keeps on loading until I move the mouse pointer
  
• An animated GIF remains static in its 1st frame and only moves into the next frame if I keep moving the mouse pointer
  
• When downloading a file of varied sizes, the information and loading bar doesn't even update and remains static unless I keep on moving the mouse pointer

So, overall, I can only browse smoothly on Firefox if I keep on moving the mouse pointer, which is ridiculous!

I have exactly the same add-ons on Firefox as I had before when I was using Vista - with one exception - Gacela. However, I disabled this add-on (even though Gacela is a safe add-on) and I'm having the same rendering problems.

These rendering problems I've stated above do not occur on Internet Explorer or any other browser for that matter. I could use another browser to get away from this problem but I really want to stick with Firefox.

Can anybody please help me in pinpointing the source of this problem and how to solve it? I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard of happening with Firefox...

Try starting Firefox in Safe Mode.



Did you do an upgrade from Vista to 7, or was it a clean install?

OK, I started Firefox in Safe Mode. Everything's fine. So I started Firefox in normal mode and everything was fine as well. However, sometimes when I start Firefox, those same problems crop up again and sometimes they don't! Weird, right?

Anyway, I used to have Vista and I upgraded to 7 but it was a clean install - meaning that my hard drive was formatted and everything was uninstalled. Before I did that, I made a list of everything that I had installed and reinstalled the exact same stuff on Windows 7.

Okay, then it's likely addon related....

Try this: Troubleshoot extensions and themes

A clean install is what I wanted to hear. In-place upgrades tend to be plagued by bugs.

Thank you for that link, KeyboardNinja.

Yeah, I really wanted to do a clean install and start from scratch again.

What do you mean by in-place upgrades?

It really looks like my Gacela plugin is causing problems. I really want to keep this add-on but it looks like I've got no choice.

An in-place upgrade from Vista to 7 keeps all your programs and settings without having to install everything again. See here. However, in-place upgrades tend to have little unexplainable bugs and glitches that can only be fixed by a clean install....so why not just go ahead with a clean install? That's my philosophy.

Sorry about that addon...sometimes it happens. It's possible they will release a new version in the future that does not cause problems.

Your philosophy's 100% correct. Thanks for pinpointing the problem for me.

Yeah, for now, I've happily given up on the add-on that was causing the problem. I guess having the browser free of all problems is much better than an add-on.

Thank you once again.

You're welcome.

Yep, you're exactly right....it's like a situation I had a while back...this guy had just renewed his Norton subscription, but Norton kept crashing all his computers. Would you keep the paid program just for the principle of the matter (not wanting hard-earned money to be wasted), even though it crashes your computer?

You're welcome, again.

I see. No way I would keep a program like that, even if I paid for it! On a side note, I have the full paid version of AVG Internet Security, & it's not crashing anything so far. However, if it was the only thing crashing my computer, then I would definitely remove it.

Yep!

KeyboardNinja, I'm sorry to bother you again but I encountered a similar problem yesterday, where Firefox was rendering slower than usual. Is it okay if I still use this topic for my problem?

I don't see why not. It's your topic.

By "rendering slower than usual", I can only assume you mean the pages were loading slow(er). The first thing I try when things start to drag is clear the cache: How to clear the cache, then restart Firefox (close all windows, wait a second, then reopen).

Thank you.

OK, I cleared the cache. However, these problems still remain. But first, I would like to say that the pages load fast. Everything's nice.

It's just that Firefox doesn't update information and sometimes animated GIFs move very slowly unless I wildly move my mouse pointer. When I'm downloading a file, then information such as the speed of the download (KB/s) and the progress bar are very slow to update and refresh.

So, in a nutshell, visiting the internet is smooth enough but animated GIFs and updating/refreshing information is the problem.

Do you have any clue what the problem is?

aras, on May 28 2010, 06:58 AM, said:

Try updating java and flash.

I cannot find any addon named "gacela" for firefox. From where did you download it?

I did find some mention of a toolbar and adware/malware.

I suggest you use Super Antispyware Free to scan your computer and allow it to remove whatever it finds.
Does the "gacela" have an unistaller? If so, I would do that, too.

http://www.superantispyware.com/